UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall announces he is vacating title: Im absolutel

Tom Aspinall, the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, announced early Monday that he would be vacating his title as he continues to deal with eye issues stemming from a double eye poke suffered at the hands of Ciryl Gane last October.

“I’ve now made the decision to vacate the heavyweight title,” Aspinall posted on Instagram. “I’ve asked the UFC to allow me to make this statement because I don’t want to hold the heavyweight division up. I know what it’s like to have your career put on hold and I want the other fighters to have the opportunity to compete for the title.”

Aspinall was forced to retire in the first round of the main event of UFC 321 after Gane’s fingers went knuckle-deep into Aspinall’s eyes. What was expected to be a life-changing fight for Aspinall turned into a nearly yearlong nightmare that is still continuing. Four months after the incident, Aspinall was still struggling to track moving targets and struggled with daily tasks.

Aspinall said he was nearing a potential return to fighting, having returned to sparring and was feeling “great,” but a setback causing more damage to his right eye forced him to make this decision.

“Ongoing complications with my eyes mean I cannot get medically cleared to fight right now,” Aspinall wrote. “I’ve had multiple surgeries, accidents and infections, and done everything possible to get back to competing. I know there have been questions about why I’ve been quiet. I’ve always followed the advice of the UFC and focused on my recovery while we’ve tried to make this happen.”

The British heavyweight was on a three-fight winning streak and sported a 15-3 overall record before the Gane bout. While Aspinall’s return is unclear, he does hope to fight again in UFC.

“I’m not done,” Aspinall wrote. “Stepping away from the title is not stepping away from the sport or the dream. I’ll continue doing everything I can to get healthy, get cleared and get back to competing as soon as possible.

What makes this particularly difficult is that many of the complications I’m dealing with are a result of fouls that changed the course of my career. Fighters rely on officials to enforce the rules and protect us in those moments, and it’s hard to still be dealing with the consequences today.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this absolute nightmare.

I’ll be back as soon as I’m medically able to be.”